Efficacy of the probiotic Bacillus subtilis DG101 in preventing overweight in healthy individuals: a double blind, placebo-controlled study

Abstract

At some point in life, most people have successfully tried to achieve an adequate body weight. But such achievement is difficult to maintain over time. A good balance between diet and lifestyle is beneficial to achieve a healthy personal fitness, and the intestinal microbiota, in particular probiotics, could play an important role on it. In this work, we demonstrate the proficiency of the human probiotic bacterium Bacillus subtilis DG101 to maintain body weight, total fat content and BMI of healthy individuals within optimal limits. We conducted a double blind, placebo-controlled study involving a total of 133 healthy participants meeting the inclusion criteria and randomized in two groups (intervention group, n = 66 participants who received the probiotic, and the placebo group, n = 67 participants). At each bi-monthly visit to our center over 12 months (study duration), the parameters measured in each participant were body weight, fat content and BMI. Linear regression (ANOVA) was used to test differences in response to treatments (probiotic and placebo). The participants (of both sexes) who incorporated the probiotic B. subtilis DG101 into their diets were able to maintain, and even improve (healthy decrease), the body weight, fat content and BMI compared to the placebo group after the 12 months. The participants did not manifest any adverse effect caused by consuming the probiotic. Overall, the present results show the human probiotic Bacillus subtilis DG101 as an effective strategy to prevent overweight in healthy individuals.